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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 1 hour ago

A new mathematical tool to uncover 'who eats whom' in nature

Understanding "who eats whom" is the key to keeping our oceans alive—and our dinner plates full. However, this invisible network that makes up the food chain can unravel with the pull of just one thread. Overfish one species, and its predators starve. Cut off a tiny prey species, and the entire food chain collapses—including us.
The intricacies of this web have remained a mystery because traditional ecological research is almost forensic, incredibly slow and strictly limited to the number of species scientists can physically collect during fieldwork. To find a better way, marine scientists had to look outside the ocean entirely and delve into an unexpected specialty: mathematics.
New research published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution on Aug. 6, 2026, blends marine science and engineering mathematics to solve the "impossible" problem of this chaotic web. The resulting algorithm reconstructed invisible ocean networks with 80% accuracy, essentially turning the invisible visible.
The algorithm reconstructed invisible ocean networks with more than 80% accuracy. Even better, its calculations of the percentage of each prey that predators ate had an error rate of less than 5%. Even when fed "noisy" or imperfect field data, the system remained perfectly steady.

Ettore Barbieri et al, The superposition method for the reconstruction of food webs, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (2026). DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.70376

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 2 hours ago

The team used these animals in a series of tests that exposed them to different wavelengths of light while using a biometer to measure eye shape and axial length and an autorefractor to measure refractive changes over time.

Earlier work in mice suggested that violet light near 380 nanometers could suppress myopia and revealed that opsin 5 (OPN5), a light-sensing receptor, was required for this response. But that wavelength did not work in tree shrews because, as in humans, the ocular lens blocks most light below about 400 nanometers.

Human lenses, and now we know tree shrew lenses, don't transmit a lot of light in the ultraviolet spectrum.
The findings support a broader idea that modern indoor life has changed the lighting environment in ways that affect children's eye development. Standard white LEDs typically have a peak around 450 nanometers and emit substantial longer-wavelength light that supports vision. But they provide little of the indigo light that appears to stimulate nonvisual opsins—light-sensitive pathways involved in biological processes beyond image formation.
We evolved outside in the full-spectrum light provided by our sun. When we live inside, we don't get all the wavelengths the eye needs for normal refractive development, and so we get myopia. That's the basic message of this research paper.
One way to prevent myopia would be to encourage children to spend much more time outside, where their eyes can focus across a wider range of near and distant objects while their growing bodies are bathed in full-spectrum sunlight. But reversing the course of our increasingly technical culture appears unlikely.

Another way to prevent myopia would be to improve lighting systems.

Prevention of myopia in a near-primate by supplemental indigo light suggests a hypothesis for the myopia boom, Cell Reports Medicine (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2026.102999. www.cell.com/cell-reports-medi … 2666-3791(26)00416-7

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 2 hours ago

Restoring a missing slice of sunshine to indoor light may help prevent myopia

Myopia, or nearsightedness, develops when the eye grows too long from front to back. This prevents images from focusing directly on the retina in the back of the eye, causing distant objects to appear blurry.

Myopia usually begins in childhood and can progress through adolescence. Beyond the need for glasses or contact lenses, high myopia increases the risk of vision-threatening complications later in life, including retinal detachment, glaucoma and macular degeneration.

Research has already shown that the more time children spend playing with screens indoors instead of outdoors, the more likely they are to develop myopia. In fact, some experts predict that nearly 5 billion people (or 50% of the world's population) will be nearsighted by 2050.
Now, a new study led by vision researchers  suggests that myopia can be prevented with improved indoor lighting.

Details were published online Aug. 18, 2026, in Cell Reports Medicine.

The research focuses on indigo light—a short-wavelength light that is abundant in sunlight but poorly represented in standard white LED lighting. In experiments involving tree shrews—an animal model with a human-like visual system—the team demonstrated that exposure to indigo light completely prevented nearsightedness from developing.
The study used tree shrews because their eyes share anatomical and optical features with human eyes.
Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 2 hours ago

The findings of the study change the way we understand the evolution of the human pelvis. It is not the Neanderthal pelvis that is the anomaly requiring explanation. Rather, it is the pelvis of the modern human male. The mechanism that evolved within the human male represents the evolutionary innovation.

The researchers note that the study presents a new biomechanical model that may explain a substantial part of the human pelvis's sexual dimorphism, the anatomical differences between females and males.

Yoel Rak et al, Neandertal pelvis reveals specialized walking apparatus in human males, Scientific Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-59915-8

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 2 hours ago

Male Neanderthal pelvises resemble those of modern females, challenging decades-old assumptions
A new study published in Scientific Reports offers an explanation for one of the striking differences between men and women: the evolutionary development of the modern human pelvis.
By comparing Neanderthal pelvises with those of modern humans, the researchers reached a surprising conclusion: The unusual structure of the pelvis may not be that of the Neanderthal, as has been assumed for decades, but rather that of the modern human male.
According to the researchers, the male pelvis evolved into a unique biomechanical shock-absorbing mechanism that stores energy and makes long-distance walking more efficient.
The study is based on a comparison of two nearly complete male Neanderthal pelvises, one from Kebara Cave in Israel and the other from the Sima de los Huesos site in Spain, with dozens of modern human pelvises.

Surprisingly, despite their large size and robust construction, the Neanderthal pelvises were found to resemble those of modern human females in most measurements and proportions rather than those of modern human males.

During every step of bipedal walking, the body's center of mass drops downward. This drop strains the joints and requires energy to raise the body again in preparation for the next step.

According to the new model, the distinctive geometry of the male pelvis enables the thigh muscles to cushion the drop of the body's center of mass, store potential energy during the step and then release that energy immediately afterward—effectively "springing" the body upward into the next step.

In this way, the pelvis functions as a natural shock absorber and energy-return system. It may reduce energy expenditure, improve walking efficiency and thereby provide a significant advantage during long-distance travel on foot. The change in the position of the hip joints also required additional structural adaptations, including the thickening of the pubic bone and deepening of the anterior portion of the pelvis to withstand the new mechanical loads.
Modern human females, by contrast, could not adopt the full suite of these modifications. According to the researchers, the constraints imposed by childbirth require a relatively shallow pelvis and a sufficiently wide birth canal. As a result, the female pelvis remains closer to the ancestral configuration—the same general configuration found in male Neanderthals.
Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 23 hours ago

Can vitamin C cure a cold? How a Nobel Prize winner convinced us it could
Vitamin C does not prevent colds in the general population or help when started after symptoms begin. Regular supplementation may modestly reduce severe symptom duration and severity, with greater effects in athletes and military personnel. High doses can cause gastrointestinal effects, kidney-stone risk, increased iron absorption, and drug interactions.

original article.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Scientists have designed a functioning virus from scratch using AI. What you need to know
AI-generated genomes for the bacteriophage ΦX174 produced 16 functional phages among 285 synthesized designs, demonstrating that sequence models can generate viable viral genomes based on existing biological patterns. The system remains limited to a simple bacteriophage; clinical phage applications and biosecurity require further validation and oversight.

original article.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

A better option for remembering information: Break out a pen and paper. Writing something down—for example, taking notes during a lecture—forces us to process and organize the information into manageable bullet points and draw connections. Known as "desirable difficulty," the mental effort in this kind of processing may make us more likely to remember the information.

However, it's not foolproof; sometimes, writing something down can lead to cognitive offloading—such as forgetting a friend's birthday after we add it to our calendar and set reminders. Like the phone numbers in your contact list, you may no longer be able to remember the specific information.

Screenshotting can potentially supplement your memory if you take only a few intentional shots and review them later—similar to how a calendar reminder can support your memory of an upcoming event. But taking frequent screenshots and letting them accumulate unreviewed has the opposite effect, research shows.
The results of the current study suggest that we are likely harming our memory for information and experiences with the press of a button, and that this impairment may even extend beyond what is captured.

Sophia P. Fabrizio et al, Digital amnesia: The aftermath of a screenshot, Memory & Cognition (2026). DOI: 10.3758/s13421-026-01921-2

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Taking screenshots makes you more likely to forget information

Snapping a photo or taking a screenshot to remember something? According to recent cognitive research, the practice may make you more likely to forget.

Research has consistently shown that if you take photographs or screenshots during an experience, your memory of the information or event is degraded.

Taking photos or screenshots can impair memory for captured information, particularly when images are not later reviewed. Across seven experiments, capture showed no memory benefit and was associated with poorer recall and source memory. Divided attention, cognitive offloading, and attentional disengagement may contribute.

Known as the photo-taking impairment effect, the phenomenon occurs for material that the picture-taker doesn't review afterward. According to other research, using photographs to retrieve and review memories may benefit long-term retention.
However, many of us take more photos and screenshots than we can use—about 20 photos a day, with about 2,000 photos stored on the average smartphone, according to estimates.

Unless you are actively reviewing those images as cues for elaborative memory retrieval, it is unlikely to benefit you.

Another study suggests that our memory isn't impaired when photographs are captured automatically using a wearable clip camera. This indicates that there's something about the act of taking a photo or capturing a screenshot that impairs memory, rather than the knowledge that something is being saved.
One possible mechanism behind digital amnesia is divided attention: The act of capturing an experience takes away cognitive resources that would otherwise be dedicated to encoding the information in memory. While divided attention plays a role, it's unlikely to be the main source of memory impairment. People show a comparable deficit when extra time is provided to view artwork before or after taking a photograph and when the capture task is made less difficult, which should minimize its effects.

Another possibility is cognitive offloading, in which we do not allocate cognitive resources to remember information if it's stored externally. Offloading allows us to redirect those conserved cognitive resources toward aspects of an experience that weren't captured or toward unrelated tasks.

Individuals should only employ the strategy if the information is reliably saved and accessible. However, research has shown that memory remained impaired even when picture-takers knew their images would be immediately deleted. With screenshots in particular, people were less likely to remember whether they captured an image or viewed a piece of art, and had worse memory for the art itself when it was captured.

A third hypothesis is attentional disengagement, in which the act of taking a photograph or screenshot causes us to unconsciously distance ourselves from the experience.
This unconscious detachment may be sparked by a longstanding association between capturing images and the ability to offload information.
Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Sunday

Faecal transplant soothes peanut allergy
Six people with a severe peanut allergy can tolerate the nut after a transplant of gut bacteria from the stool of people without the allergy. Four months after the transplant, five participants could eat 600 milligrams or more of peanut protein — the equivalent of about two and a half peanuts — without triggering a severe immune response. The potential of this type of therapy to have a lasting benefit is really, really exciting, because available treatments for food allergies are limited and short-lived.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.aee3263

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